September 1, 2011 - Ringling College alumnus Kris Chatterson (Fine Arts, 2002) has exhibited his paintings in one solo show already this year with Western Project in Los Angeles (which marks his 2nd solo show with them). Now he gets ready for his second solo exhibition of the year, which opens at Jeff Bailey Gallery in New York on Friday, September 9th.

After Chatterson graduated from Ringling College in 2002, he went straight to graduate school at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California where he received his MFA in 2004. But little did he know how big an impact his undergraduate education at Ringling College would make. When the Ringling College fine arts faculty interviewed Chatterson two weeks ago, he boasted of his undergraduate experience at Ringling College: "I was almost over prepared for graduate school and I had leg up."

Chatterson's painting style is abstract and his paintings evoke vast, ever changing and unfamiliar spaces. Like many artists are starting to do, Chatterson is adapting to technology. In a multi-step process, he combines images from his earlier paintings with layered patterns that he creates on a computer or smart phone. These are manipulated, distorted, then printed and transferred to a painted surface (where he continues to paint and build the overall image).

When asked about incorporating the digital element, Chatterson states, "Being able to work digitally allows me to create infinite possibilities while working with very little". The computer acts as a synthesizer of Chatterson's abstract forms: calligraphic gestures are manipulated into non-linear spatial compositions. However, the physical act of painting is equally important. It is the combination of each method that enables Chatterson to create his unique imagery.

Chatterson’s work takes shades of grey and black that are mixed with one or several high-keyed colors. Giant brush strokes, magnified pixelations, dot matrixes and tunneling perspective collide and morph, suggesting both creation and destruction. Distinctions between physical and abstract worlds break down and shift into a new type of pictorial space.

Chatterson also recently co-curated (through Progress Report) Working Title, at The Bronx River Art Center, an exhibition of contemporary abstraction.

See the links below for more information about Chatterson’s work and exhibitions: